El Paso
by jaimed1968
Summary: A young leader and a fair young maiden who fall in love. Will it last or will tragedy tear them apart?


This is dedicated to my really good friend kittyb78. This is kind of a song fic based on the song 'El Paso' by Marty Robbins. When I first heard the song I thought of how it truly is a love story gone wrong but with a little manipulation, I think that it turned out rather well. Hope that you like it as much as I've had writing it.

* * *

_Out in the West Texas town of El Paso, I fell in love with a Mexican girl.  
_

A dark haired stranger rode into the dusty border town of El Paso, Texas. His dusty black Stetson was pulled low over his eyes, shielding his face from the prying eyes of the locals. The black duster hung off his muscular shoulders hiding the deadly weapon at his side that he called Banryu. Azure eyes scoured the dusty lane for a place to quench his thirst and fill his gut with food. He'd been on the trail for a while, so long in fact that he didn't remember when the last time was that he'd had a potable cup of coffee.

The blood bay Mustang that he rode stumbled slightly, unsettling the rider as he thought, "I'll need to give him a few days rest, now that the posse is off my back. He's done wonders at evading those blasted Rangers as well as the Federales." He patted the great neck of his horse, raising a dust cloud that nearly choked him as he continued down the dusty road, the sun setting behind him casting everything into an orange glow.

As he sauntered past the false front of a two story building, wonderful music, some of which he'd hardly ever heard drifted from the bat-winged doors. He turned his head toward the structure, noticing the sign 'Rosa's Cantina' swaying in the slight breeze. Being drawn like a moth to the flame, the stranger guided his horse toward the cantina, sliding gently next to a few horses that appeared to be sleeping. He tied the colt to the hitching post, scratching affectionately behind his ears before stepping onto the wood planked porch that graced the front of the bar.

_Night-time would find me in Rosa's cantina; Music would play and Felina would whirl._

The handsome young stranger moved through the bat-wing doors of the cantina, parting them slightly before striding toward the bar. Although his head remained stationary, his eyes took in every detail of the establishment, from the four gents in the corner playing poker to the player piano and the dancer on the stage off to the side. Sliding up to the bar, he ordered a stiff drink, just something to rinse the dust out of his mouth more than anything really. Once the drink was set before him, he picked it up, looking at himself in the mirror that lined the back wall. His azure eyes followed the dancer as she twirled and danced to the music of the piano, accompanied by a Spanish guitar and a trumpet.

_Blacker than night were the eyes of Felina, wicked and evil while casting a spell…_

"Ah, I see that you have seen our beloved Felina work her magic," the bartender surmised as he moved to refill the stranger's glass.

Picking up his stiff drink, once he'd paid for it, the stranger asked, "Does she always dance here?"

Returning his gaze to the dancer on the stage, the bartender replied, "Yep… ever since her family was killed a while back, she comes in here to sing and dance. She brings in the crowds with her singing, but mainly the guys come for her beauty."

"She seems easy on the eyes," the stranger replied, taking a swig from the beer that sat before him. With a knowing smile, the bartender shook his head slightly as he wandered down the bar toward another gent who needed a beer, leaving the stranger to his thoughts as he continued to watch the woman in the mirror.

Sensing that the song was about over, the stranger turned around to lean his back against the bar, gazing for the first time with his eyes upon the beauty that was Felina. He noticed the long wavy black tresses that brushed the curve of her rump. His eyes wandered over the dark red corseted chest, noticing how her chest filled the corset to nearly spilling out over the top. The sleeves were of a silky black shot with silver, connected at the shoulders and stuck to her arms like a second skin. In contrast to the sleeves, her skirt of the same type of material flared at the hips, enhancing all her assets as it trailed down her long sensuous legs to her petite black boot clad feet.

"Damn… she really does fill out that dress rather nicely," he thought as his jeans became a bit constricted across his loins. Once he readjusted himself, the stranger looked longingly at the raven haired dancer, gazing into her dark chocolate eyes that spoke volumes. His eyes wandered to her luscious dark red lips, the color that matched the deep red of her dress.

_My love was deep for this Mexican maiden; I was in love but in vain, I could tell.  
_  
Seeing that she was getting ready to leave, having finished her set with the piano player and mariachi band, the blue eyed stranger left his spot at the bar and moved toward her, catching her just a few feet from the make shift stage. As his hand lay lightly upon her arm, Felina twirled, smacking him with all her might across his cheek, leaving a very red hand mark upon his slightly unshaven face. Flames jumped into her chocolate orbs as his hand tightened upon the upper portion of her arm.

"Get your hand off me," she growled between clenched teeth, trying to pull her arm away from the stranger.

The stranger grinned slightly at the spit and fire that the cantina dancer had as the sting of her slap radiated across his cheek. "I was just going to ask if you'd have a drink with me, is all. No need to abuse me in such a fashion," he drawled softly but firmly for her ears only as he gently guided her back toward the bar.

Felina's eyes flashed wide at the brashness of the stranger that held her arm in his steel like grip. "How dare he… doesn't he know who I am?" she practically screamed in her mind as she followed behind the young stranger. She'd been drawn in by his vivid blue eyes, a shade of which she'd never seen before in the back water dust bowl. As she was drawn toward an empty table near the back door in a dark secluded corner, Felina glanced around the slightly crowded bar, hoping against hope that her overprotective boyfriend didn't show up. Seeing that he was not in attendance, Felina took the offered chair that the stranger had pulled out for her, before he took another across from her.

She looked over the face of the stranger, noticing that his blue eyes never seemed to stay still for long. Looking him over, Felina's breath hitched slightly as her eyes widened when she realized who he was, the infamous Bankotsu Temerario of the Venda de Siete. Rumors had floated around El Paso that the Federales had killed most of the band of murderers but felt that the leader had perished as well.

"You… you're… you're the leader of the Venda de Siete," Felina stammered once he locked eyes with hers. Fear quickly radiated off her skin as she tried to move away from the table to put distance between herself and the stranger.

With a broad smile, Bankotsu replied, "Why yes… yes I am, but not many around here are having the same reaction as you are, my dear." His eyes danced as he saw the fear spread through her chocolate orbs as he spoke then next set of words for her ears only, "As I'm sure that you are not 'Felina' like everyone has claimed that you are, my dear Kagome." As the shock of what he'd said sunk in, Kagome's eyes shot wide as he continued, "Yes… I know who you are, Kagome, the daughter of the governor of the state of Texas. Though why you insist on calling yourself 'Felina' is beyond me, much less stay in this back water hole in the ground."

"I have my reasons," she replied feeling suddenly exposed as a shiver ran up her spine as though some horrific catastrophe was about to descend upon her.

Seeing how uneasy she looked, sitting in the bar with her arms about her chest as though she'd just caught a chill, Bankotsu suggested, "Would you care to have dinner with me?"

Caught, slightly off guard, Kagome nodded slightly as she replied, "Let me change. I'll meet you out back in about ten minutes."

With a slight smile, Bankotsu nodded as she quickly moved toward her dressing room. His azure eyes watched the sway of her hips as Kagome walked away from him. "Damn, it's been a while since I've see anyone move like that," he thought as a slight pressure in his groin reminded him of the length of time from the last wild romp that he'd had.

True to her word, Kagome exited her dressing room ten minutes later, dressed in a rather lavish dark blue dress that hugged her hips as it flared out into a full skirt. The bodice seemed tight, a little too tight that almost had her bust spilling out. Her sleeves widened slightly as they ran down her arms, flaring slightly at her wrists. Bankotsu swallowed the lump of desire that crawled up his throat as he gazed upon her beauty.

"Shall we?" she asked, as she offered her arm to the rugged mercenary.

Looping his through hers, he replied, "Yes… yes we shall." He led her to the near by restaurant, enjoying her company so much that she led him to her small abode for a night cap.

The next morning, after a wild night of unspeakable passion, Bankotsu slipped quietly from her room, dressed in only his pants as he carried his shirt and boots down the stairs. He shook his head slightly as the memories of the previous night raced through his mind. "I've fallen for her, lock, stock and barrel," he thought as a genuine smile crossed his lips. "Now just to get her and my self out of this area before someone recognizes me or herself." He quickly dressed before heading back to the cantina for his horse.

_One night a wild young cowboy came in, Wild as the West Texas wind…_

A few days later, enjoying the music of the wicked 'Felina,' Bankotsu sat at a far table, drinking his beer as he continued to watch his beloved Kagome sing and dance. He'd yet been unable to get her to agree to leave El Paso for she insisted that she was making a living for herself that didn't include the shirt tales of her father. Exasperated, and unable to change her stubborn mind, Bankotsu agreed to stay with her and watch from the sidelines as she twirled, whirled and sang to her heart's content. He didn't mind, it turned him on actually, especially the way that her hips moved in the dress, swinging, swaying, and gyrating in ways that were never even thought of.

As Kagome danced for the patrons of the bar, the sound of the bat-winged doors opened as a gust of wind blew past. Spurs jingled as boot steps crossed the floor, stopping briefly at the bar before heading toward a table near the stage. Bankotsu's eyes watched the stranger intently boring holes into his back as he sat down near the stage.

The stranger removed his dust covered Stetson, beating it against his leg before setting it upon the table. He leaned back in his chair, taking a long draught of his beer before setting it down. His hazel eyes never leaving the twirling figure of Kagome as she continued through her set, unaware of his gaze upon her body, fueling his desires as she moved.

Bankotsu continued to glare at the young man, envious of his close proximity to the stage and his beloved Kagome. The dirty, dishwater blond head of the stranger shook with laughter and merriment as Kagome continued to dance, clearly unaware of Bankotsu's presence nor his connection to the young woman. "He'd better not make a move on her," he thought darkly as flames began to dance in his azure gaze, causing his blood to simmer under the thin veil of his skin.

_Dashing and daring, a drink he was sharing, with wicked Felina, the girl that I loved_.

Kagome finished her set and started to head toward Bankotsu's table, only to be grabbed roughly by the handsome young stranger from the front table.

"Ma'am… Ma'am… I'd like for you to share a drink with me," he drawled as he pulled her toward a vacant chair at his table.

Hesitantly Kagome looked over her shoulder to the hazel eyed stranger before she cast a glance back toward Bankotsu. Her chocolate eyes pleaded for Bankotsu to remain at his table, to not come to her aid for this was part of her 'job,' or at least that was what she'd been told by the bar tender. She took the seat without a word before the stranger moved to the bar for the drinks. He returned in a flash, nearly before she could blink, setting the shot of whiskey before her.

Picking up the shot glass, Kagome tipped it toward the stranger, a kind of salute for the drink before throwing back the burning liquid. As she put the glass down, she remarked, more to herself than the gentleman before her, "Damn that was good… I could almost go for another."

Without a word, the stranger was out of his chair, grabbing the bottle of whiskey from the bar before returning to his table and filling Kagome's empty glass. Grateful for the renewed drink, Kagome smiled brightly toward the stranger, leaning forward slightly to reveal more of her pert breasts. The stranger's eyes drank in her brazen beauty, making him drunk on just her scent alone. Quickly, before thoughts of the consequences, the stranger leaned forward, lacing his hand through Kagome's hair as he pulled her toward his hungry lips.

_So in anger I challenged his right for the __love__ of this maiden…_

As the stranger's lips locked on his beloved Kagome's luscious red ones, Bankotsu jumped to his feet, overturning both his chair and the table, scattering the beer mug across the surface to shatter upon the wooden floor. He roared in anger as he moved the short distance to Kagome's side in a flash, yanking her from the stranger's embrace.

"How dare you!! Touching MY WOMAN like that!!" he roared, pushing the confused and slightly embarrassed girl behind him as he berated the young stranger.

Smirking slightly at the arrogant blue eyes man, the stranger replied, "I didn't happen to see your name on her, but then again what would the leader of the Venda de Siete want with this simple whore."

At the insult to his beloved, Bankotsu slammed his fist into the face of the handsome young stranger, with a sickening crunch. The stranger flew into the bar, landing heavily onto the floor. Coughing roughly, the stranger moved slowly back to his feet, wiping the blood from his lip as he turned his burning eyes back toward Bankotsu.

"I see that you have a thing for the tart," he seethed with venom as he turned his glare to Kagome as she huddled near the piano, behind Bankotsu.

Seething with nearly as much venom as a pissed off rattle snake, Bankotsu replied, "You talk big for a dead man," as his hand moved near his beloved .45 Colt that he called Banryu.

_Down went his hand for the gun that he wore…  
_

Seeing Bankotsu's fingers hovering near the weapon at his hip, the stranger squared off, his own hand moving near his weapon. His eyes searched the piercing blue azure ones of the infamous leader of the Venda de Siete, looking for any hint of weakness. With a hitch in his breath, thinking that he'd seen a flaw in the perfect mercenary, the stranger's hand dropped to the gun at his hip, hoping to pull leather before the leader.

_My challenge was answered in less than a heart-beat…_

Seeing the hand drop, Bankotsu reacted on pure instinct. Banryu blurred as his hand moved it from the holster. In a move so fast that it appeared, as if by magic, the gun in his hand fired, deafening nearly everyone in the room. The crack of the weapon drew the attention of passers by to look into the windows of Rosa's Cantina, either by plain curiosity or to catch a glimpse of the gun fighter at the wrong end of the barrel.

_The handsome young stranger lay dead on the floor…_

As a sigh escaped the lips of the young stranger, he slipped to the floor. The gun slipped from his hand as he fell, clattering to the floor as the reality began to seep into the onlookers of what exactly had taken place. Seeing the dead body of the stranger, a scream from Kagome shattered the uneasy quietness of the cantina.

_Just for a moment I stood there in silence, shocked by the bountiful deed I had done…_

Mere heartbeats were all that it took, as I looked at the blond crumpled body of the stranger on the floor. "He was so young, a wet behind the ears pup really," Bankotsu thought as he eased Banryu back into its holster at his hip.

_Many thoughts raced through my mind as I stood there;_

With the ear shattering scream of Kagome at the dead body of the stranger, patrons from the street began to flow into the cantina quickly trying to get a closer look at the deceased. As the crowd of patrons surged through the doors, Bankotsu looked at the dead man, as he saw the brief images of his own group of comrades as the Federales hunted them down. Drawn back to the situation at hand, as the sheriff pushed his way into the bar, past the surge of patrons, panic set in at being found out.

_I had but one chance and that was to run…_

"What happened here?" the burly sheriff asked as he surged past the onlookers to look at the dead body of the young stranger.

A rugged looking cowboy that had seen the whole thing pointed toward Bankotsu as he yelled, "He shot Charlie, Sheriff. It was the leader of the Venda de Siete!!"

Bankotsu's head shot toward the cowboy as the sheriff's eyes turned toward the young mercenary. Seeing a look of recognition cross the sheriff's face, Bankotsu sprinted for the back door with only one thought on his mind, escape.

_Out through the back door of Rosa's I ran, out where the horses were tied…_

Bankotsu crashed through the back of the cantina, shattering the door as if it were paper, causing the splinters to fly through the air, cutting his cheeks and hands as he raced toward the livery stable. He ran as fast as he could, moving in a zigzag type fashion to buy him some time, but counted as well on the fact that he was a pretty good runner, to get away from the sheriff. Within a few minutes he reached the stables, searching for a horse that could out distance the posse that he knew would be forming to take his head. Glancing toward his own Mustang, Bankotsu shook his head, knowing that the blood bay couldn't last very much longer out on the desert for he'd barely recovered from their last run.

He moved toward the stall of his horse, patting the muscled neck as he said, "Not this time old friend. Maybe when I get a chance to come back through, I'll take you with me. Until then, stay safe." He patted the neck once more before he headed toward a lone black stud.

_I caught a good one; it looked like it could run…_

The pure black stallion turned his head toward Bankotsu as he quickly checked the horse's legs, feeling for any heat or tenderness. Not feeling any discrepancies, Bankotsu grabbed up his saddle and quickly threw it onto the high back of the stallion, cinching it down quite tight to keep it from slipping while he rode out of El Paso. After a few moments, the stallion was saddled and bridled, moving uneasily as the urgency of departure filled the air. Hearing shouts of the sheriff and others to check the livery stable, Bankotsu swore under his breath, realizing that his time was quickly running out.

_Up on its back and away I did ride…_

He swung onto the back of the stallion, as the horse danced nervously around in a circle, feeling the rough calloused hands grip the reins. Bankotsu took control of the stud, turning him toward the massive barn doors. As they swung open, spilling what little sunlight was left into the darkened barn; Bankotsu put spurs to the stud. The black reared slightly, knocking out the cowboy who'd opened the doors before he briefly touched hooves to the dirt, shooting out of the barn like a cannon.

Bankotsu gripped the saddle with his thighs, giving the stud his head as he loosened up on the reins. He felt the surge of muscles through the leather of the saddle as the horse unwound, stretching out his legs into a long hard run. "I guess that I chose right this time," he thought as the horse moved as lightning out onto the darkened desert.

_Just as fast as I could from the West Texas town of El Paso, out to the bad-lands of New Mexico…_

Shouts of his escape, followed by the thundering of hooves of the posse echoed through the town, urging Bankotsu to spur the stud to even faster speeds as he moved further out into the night, hoping that the darkness would cover his route of escape. He guided the stud through the forest of cactus, sage and mesquite bushes, careful to avoid the hidden gullies and various holes that could shatter the running horse's legs. Bankotsu knew the Badlands of New Mexico like the back of his hand, since this was where his group of mercenaries lived as they did various jobs for both sides of the border.

As the night wore on, Bankotsu rode in circles around the now thoroughly lost and confused posse, leading them into blind draws and endless mazes of steep walled canyons. Near midnight, the sheriff finally called off the search, knowing that the devious mind of the young leader had won. "Let's head back to town, boys. We're not going to find him out here tonight," the burly sheriff called out in the dark, never seeing that his quarry was less then ten feet from where he sat.

Bankotsu grinned brightly as he saw the last of the posse ride past his hidden cave. He dropped the hide that served as a door as he moved toward a second cave that served as his bedroom. Lighting a candle near his make shift bed, Bankotsu glanced toward the bed, as memories of his nights with Kagome raced through his mind. With a shake of his head he thought, "That part of my life is over now, time to move on." He blew out the candle plunging the caves into perpetual darkness, darkness as deep as the pain in his heart for the love of the raven haired maiden.

_Back in El Paso my life would be worthless. Everything's gone in life; nothing is left…  
_

It was late one night, a few weeks later as Bankotsu tossed and turned on his bed, covered in a thin layer of sweat. His mind raced with memories of his dearly departed comrades as they had been cut down just a few months prior by hanging at the hands of the Federales. As the memories played out they morphed and reformed to the stage at Rose's Cantina.

Dream sequence…

Kagome twirled on the stage, her red and black dress flaring out slightly as she danced and sang. Her movements enticed all the patrons of the bar, but her chocolate gaze was for him alone. With each twitch of her hip, heave of her chest, and every sensuous word from her plump lips, Bankotsu's pants constricted more and more to the point where it was almost painful to sit much longer.

Once her performance for the night was over, Bankotsu swept her off her feet, carrying her easily to her home that was about four blocks away, his lips crushing against hers in a near animal like hunger. As he used his foot to slam the front door shut, shaking the whole house as the windows rattled in their frames, Bankotsu sprinted up the stairs to the waiting bed.

Furiously, both stripped the other of their clothes, scattering the garments about the room in wild abandon. Freed from the bulk of the dress, Kagome crushed into Bankotsu's hard, chiseled chest, devouring his lips in a searing passionate kiss. Bankotsu ran his rough, calloused hands lightly down Kagome's sides, stopping to rest at her hips to play with the ties of her corset. She wrapped her fingers in his hair, pulling him into a deeper, passionate kiss. His fingers worked the ties, loosening the vile bindings to reveal her voluptuous creamy breasts.

Pulling, away from her searing lips, Bankotsu lowered his head to her breasts, taking a pert pink nipple into his mouth, suckling as a newborn babe. Kagome threw her head back as a moan escaped her lips as her hands found the end of his braid working it loose to allow his long tresses to flow down his back in luscious black waves. With one breast currently occupied and fearing that the other would become jealous, Bankotsu moved his hand to the creamy flesh, kneading with precise movements to entice more of a reaction from the raven haired beauty.

As he continued his ministrations to her body, Kagome moved slowly backwards, bumping against the edge of her bed as she led the mercenary by the mouth. Once her knees hit the edge, she wrapped her fingers through the long silky locks, pulling him with her as she lay back against the bed. Quickly, through the use of just one hand, Bankotsu removed her remaining under garments, revealing her creamy naked body to his calloused hands. Shivering slightly as the rough calluses moved about her body, an ache built like a fire in her loins, causing Kagome to arch her back as she tried to press her hips into his groin.

Bankotsu groaned as he pulled back from her breast, feeling the grind of her hips into his own, brushing against his enlarged member. He pulled back quickly, shucking the remains of his clothes in a flash before he pounced on the beauty before him. His lips crushed her ruby ones, bruising them slightly as he slowly, painfully so, entered her warm, wet depths, allowing her to adjust to his intrusion. A moan escaped Kagome's lips of pure ecstasy once he was completely sheathed in her heated core.

A sly smile graced his lips as Bankotsu began to rock his hips, thrusting like a piston into the raven haired beauty, driving her passion to wild heights. With each thrust, she met him, driving him deeper into her body as she rode to a high that she'd only dreamed of. As the knot of passion, need and lust began to consume her body, Kagome hit her climax screaming out his name to the heavens as he thrust once more into her over heated body, driving home his own climax with a growl into her neck.

End dream sequence…

_It's been so long since I've seen the young maiden…  
_

Shocked awake by the warm wetness of his dream; Bankotsu awoke in a near panic. His eyes quickly scanned the cave, looking for an intruder before he threw back the blankets. To his embarrassment, the evidence of his dreams of Kagome stared at him as a huge wet spot upon the front of his now soiled underwear. "Damn," he thought as he moved off the soiled blankets, searching for a clean pair of underwear from his saddle bags.

As he changed into the clean clothes, Bankotsu recalled his vivid dream cursing each and every time that his body reacted to Kagome's sway of the hip, heave of her chest and twitch of her lips. "I must be nuts for this," he thought at long last, foregoing the rest of his night's sleep to throw his saddle on the black stud.

_My love is stronger than my fear of death…_

As he tightened the cinch, Bankotsu remembered how Kagome's flesh made him feel urging him to move quickly. He led the black stallion out of the caves of his old hideout, giving him a chance to get a fresh breath of air. Taking in the scent of rain on the air, a sly smile crossed his lips as he thought of being able to ride into El Paso under the cover of the raging thunderstorms that usually passed through during the heat of the day.

_I saddled up and away I did go, riding alone in the dark…_

After a few minutes, letting his eyes adjust to the waxing light of the moon, Bankotsu swung into the saddle, and headed at a mere trot out of the canyons that he'd moved into after being chased out of El Paso by the posse. It was about a three day ride to El Paso, but the urgency in his heart made him ride faster, pushing the black to break-neck speeds.

_Maybe tomorrow a bullet may find me…_

As he thundered through the canyons out of the badlands, Bankotsu thought about the consequences of his actions knowing that the death of the cowboy would not be forgotten. "On the one hand, I'm sure that I'll be a dead man if they catch me," he said to himself as he guided the horse through the night, careful to avoid the water choked gullies as the storms that raged toward the north dumped their loads.

_Tonight, nothing's worse than this pain in my heart…  
_

"But on the other, the loss of her warmth is greater than my fear of death," he continued as he gazed ahead to see a thin line of blood red light ease into the distant eastern horizon, signifying the nearness of dawn. As he continued to storm across the desert, calmed by the scent of wet sage, Bankotsu thought about his beloved Kagome, and how her mere presence made him feel things that he'd never felt before, calm, accepted and loved. "I will see you again my love," he whispered softly as the horse moved like the wind over the land toward that goal that was El Paso.

_And at last here I am on the hill overlooking El Paso_; _I can see Rosa's cantina below._

About six hours later, the lathered and heavily breathing horse topped a rise, pulled to a halt by his rider as they looked down the hill toward the border town of El Paso. A smile broke across Bankotsu's face as he saw that Kagome was hanging out some laundry near the back door of her home. "My love," he thought as he nudged the sweating black horse into a walk, easing their way off the hill.

_My love is strong and it pushes me onward. Down off the hill to Felina I go.  
_

He moved slowly down the hill, not wanting to scare his beloved, nor draw unwanted attention to himself as he moved closer to Kagome. His heart beat louder in his ears as he rode closer and closer toward his beloved. His eyes shimmered with love as he saw her hanging her laundry, completely oblivious that he was slowly approaching.

_Off to my right I see five mounted cowboys;  
_

As Bankotsu moved toward Kagome, he failed to realize that he'd been spotted by some of the townsmen. One had raced back toward the sheriff, shouting that he'd come back to town to continue his reign of blood thirsty terror. The burly sheriff called for a posse and they quickly moved, gathering rifles, shotguns and horses. Quickly they surged toward the far side of El Paso, effectively cutting off both his retreat and his forward advance. Bankotsu looked toward his right and saw five cowboys leveling either rifles or shotguns in his general direction, sealing his fate and effectively blocking his retreat.

_Off to my left ride a dozen or more.  
_

Pulling up the black stud from his forward momentum, Bankotsu looked off to the left, toward the back door of Rosa's Cantina and saw that twelve more cowboys had slipped in and thus had him completely surrounded. With the prospect of dying without seeing his beloved Kagome, all rational thought left Bankotsu as he spurred the lathered horse through the ring of riders, trying to reach his beloved.

_Shouting and shooting I can't let them catch me; I have to make it to Rosa's back door._

The posse opened fire on Bankotsu, throwing copious amounts of lead in his general direction. Dust kicked up in front of the horse, causing him to shy away from the goal of Rosa's Cantina. Bankotsu fought the head strong horse, trying to get him to continue toward the cantina and the safety that it would provide, if even for a little bit.

_Something is dreadfully wrong for I feel…  
_

As he wrestled the horse, trying to correct his current direction, a crack of a rifle deafened Bankotsu momentarily. He let the horse have his head as he tried to shake the ringing sound from his ears. However the sound changed from a ringing to a constant thumping, similar to the beat of his heart.

_A deep burning pain in my side…  
_

Trying to regain control of the black horse, Bankotsu pulled hard on the reins, as he continued to shake the thumping sounds from his head. As he pulled to his left, a deep burning pain caused him to see white and nearly scream in pain. Gingerly he placed his hand on the left side of his chest, pulling it away to see that it was covered in dark red blood.

"I've been shot," he thought not really processing that he was gravely injured as he stared at the blood on his hand. Bankotsu looked back toward the fast approaching posse before he looked toward Kagome's home, seeing that she was watching the fire fight as he rode closer.

_Though I am trying to stay in the saddle, I'm getting weary, unable to ride._

Seeing the tears in her eyes, Bankotsu's heart nearly broke, knowing that they were for him as he desperately clung to the saddle, blood flowing steadily down the left side of his chest. With each beat of his heart, Bankotsu grew steadily weary, listing noticeable to one side. He struggled to right himself, as the horse moved nervously in a circle, clearly upset at the scent of blood thick in the air. Suddenly, without warning, he slid out of the saddle, falling heavily onto the hard packed earth of the out skirts of El Paso.

_But my love for Felina is strong and I rise where I've fallen, though I am weary I can't stop to rest.  
_

Rising up onto his right side, Bankotsu looked toward the back door of Rosa's Cantina, noticing that it was closer than he thought. Wearily he moved to his feet, his eyes trying to adjust, but only to blur once more as he moved toward what he thought was the cantina. As he continued to move toward the refuge of the cantina, Bankotsu was able to clear his vision, only to realize too late that he was headed right back toward the posse that was hunting him. Realizing his mistake, he turned to run back the way that he'd come.

_I see the white puff of smoke from the rifle.  
_

In one simultaneous moment, the sheriff pulled the trigger of his Sharps rifle throwing a .50 caliber bullet toward the injured mercenary. Bankotsu's eyes widened in fear as the large slug flew down range knowing that he would never be able to get out of its way in time. In the flash of an eye, his life flashed before him, revealing the good moments as well as the bad before he opened them once more.

_I feel the bullet go deep in my chest._

While his eyes were closed, he felt the slug bury itself deep in his chest, knocking him a good six feet from where he stood, gasping for a breath that he could barely draw. His eyes opened slightly as hoof beats, foot steps and shouts approached his prone position. As he struggled to move from his spot on the ground, a heavy weight crashed into him, holding him to the ground as murmurs flew to try and sooth Bankotsu, though he knew not what was said.

_From out of nowhere Felina has found me,  
_

Cracking a lone ice blue eye open, Bankotsu saw the raven hair of Kagome splayed across his chest. Her words of comfort droned in his ears as her sobs wracked her lithe frame. He raised a hand, running it gently through her hair as he soothed his voice barely a whisper, "Don't cry for me, Kagome. It's more than I deserve from a beauty like you."

Gingerly, Kagome raised her head, looking into his blue orbs with her red swollen eyes. "How can you say such things, when you've meant so much to me Bankotsu?" she asked, her heart breaking as she saw his life slip farther from her.

_Kissing my cheek as she kneels by my side…  
_

With his signature smile crossing his lips, Bankotsu replied, "You've given me a reason to live while I was on the run, and that is what drew me back to you. Your love is better spent on some one who could hold you for the rest of your life, not some mercenary who couldn't guarantee that they'd come back to you on a regular basis."

Tears slipped down her cheeks as Kagome leaned toward his dry parched lips. Tenderly she kissed his cheek, moving closer toward his inviting lips, aching to kiss them just once more. Helping Bankotsu lift his upper body off the ground, sending him into great white blinding pain, Kagome slipped her body underneath him, cradling his head against her chest.

_Cradled by two loving arms that I'll die for,  
_

Bankotsu turned his ear toward her chest, hearing her try and stifle the sobs. He closed his eyes, a tear trailing down his cheek as he thought about all the pain that he'd brought into this lovely lady's heart. Sensing that his time was near, and gaining comfort that he'd found love at long last, Bankotsu turned his head toward Kagome's face. Seeing tears streaming down Kagome's face nearly broke his heart as he raised his hand to wipe them away.

_One little kiss and Felina, good-bye…_

"I'll see you again in the great here after," he said before pressing his lips to hers in a kiss that spoke volumes. Slowly he slipped into the great beyond; his life force struggled to remain in his body as the heat seeped into the hard packed earth. Suddenly, almost as if on queue, the rain began to fall, splattering his cold face with a mixture of water drops and Kagome's tears. Bankotsu left this world for Purgatory and his final judgment.

Kagome wrapped her arms around the lifeless body of her beloved, refusing to let it go once the sheriff and posse approached her. Once they confirmed that Bankotsu was deceased, the sheriff left the grieving woman to her tasks. Kagome lay there with her beloved, crying into his chest as she wrapped her arms more protectively around his chest. Her breath hitched in her chest as her heart broke into a thousand pieces.

Night fall found the two lovers, one wrapped around the other in a protective nature, both dead to the world, one the casualty of a life of crime for hire while the other was of a broken heart. The citizens of El Paso buried the two together in a single grave, knowing that to separate them would only cause problems for their troubled souls.


End file.
